Matthew 16

[Elder-Shawn Denise Briscoe]

When JESUS spoke about leaven the disciples misunderstood because they did not listen to all of what HE had said. All they heard was leaven and the disciples connected leaven to bread. But JESUS clearly said Pharisees and Sadducees in connection with leaven. Leaven is not only used to ferment fresh dough but leaven when attached to people is used as a warning due to corruption and perverseness of one’s life and heart. This was evident in the lives of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

• Pharisee – strict observance of religious ceremonies; practices; laws and traditions; belief in an afterlife with the coming of Messiah.
• Sadducee – rejected laws; traditions and belief in an afterlife with the coming of Messiah.

Pharisees and Sadducees were famous for placing more on the people than they could bear yet they were not willing to follow their own doctrines.

• Doctrine - official acceptable version of a teaching. A development of doctrines significantly affected by traditions, institutions, and practices.

The question JESUS asked HIS disciples is no different from questions we are asked a few times in our life. 90+% of the time we never answer a particular question correctly. Who are you? We may answer the question with a “What do you mean, who am I”; “tell a person your name” or other answers that still will not answer the question properly. This is why I'm overjoyed to recognize the answer that Peter provided from the FATHER. “YOU are the CHRIST, the SON of the living GOD. When a person ask us who we are there are several answers we can provide that will fit the question; “who are you”? You may answer I'm the son/daughter of whatever your parents names are; I'm the sibling of whomever your sibling/s name; I'm the wife or husband of. But if you are a CHRISTian you can always answer with assurance that you are the son/daughter of the Most High GOD; you are the Prince/Princess of the King of Kings; you are Royalty so forth and so on. When we know who JESUS is then we know who we are. The faith of the church is being built on this principle. Also JESUS wants to give us the keys of the kingdom of heaven the problem is most of us will not take them. What is it that you are dealing with that you no longer want to be bothered with? Then why is it that you have not bound it on the earth so that it may be bound in heaven? What is it that you desire that our FATHER has promised to HIS kids? Then why is it that you have not loosened it on earth so that it will be loosed in heaven? Don’t allow yourself; other people; places; circumstances; pride and so on be a stumbling block which is an offense to JESUS keep you from living a victorious life within JESUS. We must always be mindful of the things of our living GOD instead of the things that pertain to this world. We must desire GOD more than self gratifications. After all JESUS is coming back; don’t you want to remain with HIM?